Corporate Culture
By Tommy Haws
We had an interesting discussion at work the other day with our staff. What is our culture?
When we talk about culture we either think of ethnic cultures, sophisticated classical music or something an anthropologist might study. I want to discuss with you your Corporate Culture.
Every business, whether you consciously think about it or not, has a culture. It is manifest in HOW you do things, not just how you TALK about how you do things. You can say that you offer excellent service or a superior product, but unless you actually DELIVER excellent service or products, your culture is not what you think it is. You may say that you have strict policies and procedures to work on things, but unless you follow through with them, you do not have that culture. Or, you may say that you have a free and open work environment where staff is allowed to be free thinkers or big idea folks, but again, unless you actually have those things, your culture is not what you think it is.
In their book, Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture, authors Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn have developed a methodology to find out what your workplace culture is like. They have narrowed the corporate culture areas to four main types: Clan, Ad Hoc, Market and Hierarchical.
In the Clan Culture, the family type atmosphere is emphasized. There is a feeling of teamwork and working in harmony. The culture is more closely associated with the group sharing a common mission or objective and working together to achieve it. It also strives to work at having a relationship with the clients or customers they work with.
In the Ad Hoc Culture creativity and entrepreneurial spirits are emphasized. There is a feeling of no boundaries, lots of noise and fun, very open to know ideas and innovation. This culture rewards new, bold ideas and frowns upon convention.
In the Market Culture, there is an emphasis on hitting the numbers. Getting market share, increasing profits and maximizing returns drives this culture. These companies are trying to get to the results of the bottom line as a high priority.
In the Hierarchical Culture, there is an emphasis on rules, regulations, policies, procedures and a chain of command. There is a great deal of time dealing with compliance to the rules of the company and the policies being implemented. There is a structure and safety in these companies.
It is important to note that all companies have SOME of all these cultures. There is no such thing as a 100% culture in one area. For instance, if you worked for Apple, it is probably in an Ad Hoc Culture-dominated environment, but that does not mean there is no desire to make money in the market, work as teams or have policies and procedures in place or a boss to report to. All of the cultures are represented, but one of them becomes dominant most of the time.
The question then becomes, what type of culture do you work for or own? If there is not a conscious effort to understand culture, one will evolve and become the de facto culture anyway.
What is the importance of understanding your culture, though?
All of these cultures have strengths and weaknesses. Indentifying what is most important is very crucial to dealing with these issues and the pressures of the job. Also, if you identify employees that function best in certain cultures, you can have a more happy staff. For instance, if you have a natural salesperson that is excited about numbers and selling and put them in a culture that is structured and filled with paperwork or one that gives greater emphasis to creativity, they might not do so well. But put that type in a market culture and they will be happy and productive. If you try to make a bureaucrat sell, they will not be happy.
I think you see where I am going. If you understand your culture and your strengths and weaknesses, you can make choices with regards to your staff, your direction, your markets, your mindset and your measures for success. In other words, you must know yourself before you can change yourself. You must understand yourself before you can use your strengths to your advantage and minimize your weaknesses.
One example comes to mind. I recently went to a deli out of town for a bite to eat for lunch. They are a chain store, so they were all geared up with their marketing devices and signage. They had banners hanging around the restaurant touting their great food, excellent service and clean facilities. There were quotes and endorsements from critics and customers to uphold that message. This was their mission statement; now I needed to check the culture. Did they ACT like they SAID they were going to act? Were they true to their branding? Did they walk the walk and not just talk the talk?
As I ordered, got my food, ate, etc., I must say that this company behaved exactly how they said they would. Their culture matched their message. You know what it is like when that does not happen; you are disappointed and left to feel like you were let down. This is the meaning of culture: creating actions that match your message. It is manifest in the way you carry out the actions of the day. It is important whether you are a boss, owner, employee, team leader, etc. You can match your values with your actions.
So, whether you realize it or not, you are part of a corporate culture. Those that embrace that and seek to maximize it are better off than those that suffer through difficult changes because the culture is not solidified or acknowledged.
